


i see us in black and white

by iswawrites



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love at First Sight, Slow Burn, Very Small Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:41:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24134506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iswawrites/pseuds/iswawrites
Summary: Rhaenys is Sansa's bridesmaid. Robb is Jon's best man. This is their meeting.
Relationships: (mention of) - Relationship, Jon Snow/Sansa Stark, Robb Stark/Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 44





	i see us in black and white

**Author's Note:**

  * For [k0skareeves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/k0skareeves/gifts).



> The pairing is not entirely new to me but i was thinking about concepts yesterday and I felt overwhelmed by the amazing possibilities of Rhaenys x Robb. So I came up with this little concept on twitter and Gabi told me to write it so here we are :)  
> I hope you enjoy it, :) any mistakes are my own!

**Rhaenys**

Rhaenys is freaking out. On top of her anxiety for her work presentation, she had to get lost on her way to the estate where Jon and Sansa are having their wedding. You’d think after her twenty one years of living on this earth, she’d be better at time management, but no. Organisation has never been her strongest suit, but it’s fine, she’s known to be the wild card of the family, but she doesn’t think Sansa would appreciate her being late to the rehearsal dinner. Rhaenys blames her boss to be fair, the man is a jerk and if he wasn’t paying her so well, she probably would have quit months ago. But she needs the money for now, and the experience, finding a job straight out of college isn’t easy and she knows she’s lucky to have been hired at the PR company with no experience. Plus, Jon loves his little sister, he knows she isn’t trying to be difficult on purpose, he won’t be mad at her.. right? 

She pulls up in the massive driveway, surrounded by tall trees and she smiles when she spots the mansion at the end of it. Thank God, she’s finally here. She parks rather well, or at least she hopes she does, and tries to fix her hair but gives up after a minute. Besides, it’s already 11 pm, the rehearsal dinner is probably already over and she should just get out of her car to get inside the mansion so she can go and find her room and get some sleep. Dragging her suitcase up to the stone stairs is quite hard, because of course, she had to pack as if she was going to a week long trip when it’s really only three days. She sighs when she gets to the top of the stairs and enters the mansion. 

The hall is decorated  _ à l’italienne _ and her mouth falls open at the high ceiling and the tapestries hanging on the wall are magnificent and she bets Sansa knows all the artists who did them and Rhaenys can’t wait to ask Sansa about them all when she- 

“Oh!” She bumps into someone she hadn’t seen as she had been too focused looking up. She turns around and finds herself face to face with a tall man. A very handsome tall man. It’s his eyes that she sees first, how blue they are, and then it’s his hair, reddish brown, wavy but short and styled perfectly down to the last strand of hair. And then, the lips, damn those lips.  _ Stop it Rhaenys, now is not the time!  _

  
  


“I’m so sorry, I- I wasn’t looking and I.. I am sorry.” She blurts out, shaking her head. 

  
  


“It’s quite alright.” The man says with a smile, and she realizes he has a hand on her shoulder, and his touch is gentle, soft. She can’t remember the last time someone has touched her so gently - she can’t remember the last time she’s let a stranger touch her.. “Are you okay? You’re a guest of the wedding?” 

  
  


“Yes, thank you and yes,” She smiles, trying to not flinch now that she’s aware of his touch, “I take it you are one too?” 

  
  


“Yes. Best man of the groom actually.” He chuckles and her eyes widen. 

  
  


“Wait, you’re Robb? Sansa’s brother?” She asks and the man’s eyebrow shoots up. 

  
  


“Indeed, I am, and you are..” 

  
  


“Rhaenys, Jon’s sister.” Suddenly, she’s overwhelmed with embarrassment. “ I am so sorry, I really didn’t want us to meet that way. I wanted to be on time for the rehearsal dinner so we could talk about the process of walking the aisle side by side and I just-” 

  
  


“Hey hey, it’s okay.” Robb says, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance. And still, she doesn’t flinch. Her therapist would be so proud. Rhaenys, 2 - Trauma, 0. “You didn’t miss much during dinner, although the food was really good.”

  
  


At the mention of food, Rhaenys’ stomach suddenly remembers that she hadn’t had time to grab anything to eat and that her last meal was her 4 pm snack and it was half of a muffin before the big meeting. She groans and shuts her eyes. “ Please don’t mention food, I’m so hungry.” 

  
  


“You haven’t eaten?” Robb asks and she shakes her head and maybe it’s the exhaustion from the long day, maybe it’s the fact that she just wants to have a win today, maybe it’s the fact that he’s looking at her with infinite softness, but she lets him take her suitcase from her hand and then her hand. And his palm is soft, gentle, and she thinks he never raised a hand on anyone before, no, not a hand like this. 

He’s leading her to the main desk where he kindly asks the night receptionist the key to Rhaenys’ room. The key in hand, they don’t go up the stairs though, to the rooms, no, he leads her towards the back of the mansion, and soon enough, he’s resting her suitcase against the wall, next to a door, and then placing a finger on his lips, those very inviting lips, signaling to stay quiet. She nods, and he opens the door and brings her into the kitchen. Immediately, she’s hit by the smell of seafood and citrus and spices and gosh, she can’t wait for tomorrow. Robb’s hand leave hers and she tries to ignore the emptiness she feels at that, though she doesn’t say anything, just watches as he turns on the light, a very bright white light, and makes his way around the massive kitchen, pulling out a plate and some pot full of something. She stays put, watching him move, watching him put a plate together, and then he’s bringing her to the little station and handing her a fork. 

“I’m no cook, but I think that’s how they did it.” He itches the side of his neck and he looks really young then and she actually wonders how old he is for a second, but then, he urges her to taste it. “ Come on, have it.” 

  
  


Her eyes drops the eyes to the plate, and she bites her lip. “ I’m not sure I should have food this late.” The minute the words leave her mouth, she wants to smack herself on the back of the head. _ We’re not doing this anymore, Rhaenys, we’re not doing that anymore. _ And she’s about to apologize but Robb shakes his head and speaks before she can. 

  
  


“Eating good food doesn’t have a curfew.” Robb watches her and she realizes how close they are, only a couple of feet away, or less maybe, she’s not sure, but he’s warm, she feels that from where she stands and it makes her heart race. Just a tiny bit. “Come on,” Robb gestures to the plate, “I promise I am not the one who actually made it, so it should be good.” 

  
  


She chuckles at that and focuses back on the plate he put up for her. She takes a bit of the food, and it’s not her usual type of food - she’d take her mom’s desi food over anything any day - but she has to admit it’s really good. She turns to Robb and nods positively at him, letting him know he was right, and his face lights up at that and he gives her the biggest smile and she feels her insides erupting with butterflies and it’s so strange and weird, and she goes back to eating, shaking her head slightly, pushing the thoughts away. 

  
  


**Robb**

  
  


No one looks good in kitchen lightning, no one, Robb knows that, everyone knows that, it’s a universally known fact, and yet, he looks down at Rhaenys as she takes bites of the vegetables he placed on a plate for her, and she thinks she must be the most beautiful person he’s ever laid his eyes on. When Jon had told him that he’d be walking with his sister Rhaenys down the aisle as best man and one of Sansa’s bridesmaids, he had never truly given himself time to imagine how she looked like. He hadn’t had a serious girlfriend since university, only a few flirting sessions here and there at this law firm with a few assistants but nothing that keeps him up at night. But right now, his stomach is in his knots and his brain is desperately trying to think of something to say so he can fill the silence and just hear Rhaenys’ voice directed to him again. 

But soon enough, she has finished the plate and Robb still hasn’t said a word. Gosh, he’s usually so smooth with girls, a real lady-killer but right now, when Rhaenys looks up at him, with her big light green eyes and her full lips, he thinks she’s an angel and he’s not really worthy of looking at her but then, maybe he is. And he feels stupid, standing there, staring at her so openly and he feels like he should look away, say something, anything, but he can’t find it in him to break the moment. And she doesn’t talk either, doesn’t utter a word and just looks at him too. He wonders what she sees, does she see a silly young man, does she a stranger she’d like to know, does she see someone falling? Because he can’t explain it but he is, he’s falling. He’s falling for this girl he’s met half an hour ago and he can’t stop it. 

  
  


“I should probably go to my room.” She whispers after a moment and Robb finds himself sighing. “We have to get up early tomorrow.” 

He nods but he doesn’t move and neither does she. And for a second, he thinks he could kiss her, because he really wants to and because he doesn’t want to leave it like this. But she moves before he can and she turns away and he watches her leave, frozen in place, and for a second he thinks this is it, his chance is gone but then she turns around, her hand on the door, ready to leave his sight but her eyes find his again and there’s a small smile playing on her lips. 

“See you tomorrow for the walk down the aisle?” She says softly.

And for a moment, he doesn’t understand, for a moment, he forgets that she’s one of Sansa’s bridesmaids and he’s Jon’s best man and they have to do this thing tomorrow and he has to walk her down the aisle. It comes back to him with her words and he nods, not trusting his voice and yes, he’ll walk her down the aisle, he’ll walk down any aisle with her at his arm, and she smiles and wishes him goodnight before exiting the kitchen and he wonders how he’s going to be able to sleep at all tonight. Not when his heart is racing this fast. 

  
  


~~

Jon and Sansa are married. That’s it, it’s official ; everyone is cheering for the young married couple as they take their first dance as husband and wife. Robb smiles as he watches his little sister dance with her husband. He’s so happy for her, so happy that she is happy, that she’s found someone that makes her happy. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Rhaenys watching Jon and Sansa as well. She looks so beautiful, she’s wearing a traditional saree, just like Elia is. It’s yellow and it compliments her skin wonderfully and she’s smiling softly as she watches the young married couple. After a minute, she catches his eyes across the room and tilts her head. He doesn’t know how but in a minute, he’s by her side, offering his hand, hoping she’ll take it. 

“May I have this dance, miss?” She stares at his hand, seeming to consider if she should or not. “Don’t worry, I won’t take this hand for ever.” It’s a lie, and a year later, he’ll ask for that same hand with the promise of forever.

She lets out a small laugh and takes his hand and lets him lead her to the dancefloor. He places his hand on her waist, but he feels when she flinches a little but she keeps a smile on her face but it’s a little tense, even as they dance and other couple join them. He can feel how stiff she is, and he feels weird, and maybe he’s imagining this, maybe he did imagine the chemistry he felt last night between them. 

  
  


“Are you hum, Are you okay?” He feels the need to ask, he needs to know this is not just in his head.  _ Please, let it not be all in my head _ . 

  
  


She shakes her head. “ I’m fine, it’s just … I don’t usually dance like this.” 

  
  


That gets his attention. “Oh?” He tilts his head to the side, narrowing his eyes in confusion. “ How do you usually dance?”

  
  


She looks up at him, for the first time since they’ve started dancing, and her eyes are full of something he can’t figure out. “I .. I don’t think anyone wants to see a full  _ kathak _ dance right now.” She lets out a little laugh but the way she looks away, almost embarrassed, he wonders why she doesn’t feel like she could dance like she wants to. 

  
  


“I would.” Robb blurts out. 

  
  


She brings her eyes back to him. “ You would?” 

  
  


He nods vigorously, because yes he would, he would do anything to stay with her, to bring a smile on her face, and then they’re leaving the dance floor and she takes him to the gardens, where Jon and Sansa took their wedding pictures after the ceremony. Her hand holds his with strength, and determination, and when she looks back at him and smile, he thinks his heart might just come out of his chest. She lets go of his hand once they reach a clear area and they’re surrounded by trees, and she’s gorgeous in the mid-afternoon light and they can hear distant chatter from the guests but he can only look at her. 

  
  


“Do you have your phone with you?” She asks him as she takes off her shoes. He frowns at that but doesn’t comment and takes his phone out of his pocket. He hands it to her and she quickly types something. “You might want to get comfortable.” Robb smiles at that, at the thought of spending an unlimited time with her, uninterrupted, unspoiled. Just the two of them. He sits down on the grass, not caring that his suit might get dirty. The music starts and he doesn’t recognize the song, but he supposes it’s an indian song, and Rhaenys starts dancing and if Robb wasn’t falling before, he surely is now. Watching her move so gracefully, dancing so carefully, the thought that it might be just for him, her smile when she catches his eyes while she’s dancing. Yes, he’s falling. And still, he can’t explain why or how it happens, he could try to find a reason but he just doesn’t know, and in the end, it won’t matter. 

When she finishes, he claps immediately and rises from the ground. She’s smiling, no, grinning now, almost laughing and he takes a few steps closer to her and he wants to kiss her, he does, but no,  _ not now _ he thinks. It’s not right yet. 

“That was beautiful, Rhaenys!, I ..” There are words on the edge of his mouth but he can’t say them yet. Not when he’s the only one falling. “You’re amazing.” 

Her smiles fades a little and she looks embarrassed again and almost confused. “You .. You don’t think it’s weird?” 

Now it’s his turn to be confused. “What? No, absolutely not! That whole dance was incredible!” His words doesn’t seem to reassure her, and she looks down at her bare feet and sighs. Maybe it’s the way her shoulders are falling, maybe it becomes obvious then, but Robb really wishes he could hug her and reassure her properly but something tells him that it has to come from her too. “I’m sorry you were made to feel like you weren’t good at things or that you can’t enjoy things you like.” He gently places a hand on her shoulders, over her fabric so she’s not startled by his touch. She doesn’t flinch but she stares at his hand for a few seconds. “I won’t hurt you, Rhaenys. I mean it.” 

The answer come quickly. “ People have lied about that before.” 

The look in her eyes breaks his heart and he hurts for her, he hurts for this young woman who deserves to be loved, deserves to be cared for, and Robb shakes his head. “ I am not lying. I promise you.” 

She raises her eyes at him and offers him a sad smile. “Really?” 

“Really.” He nods. “ Now would you like to teach me the dance?” 

She chuckles and raises an eyebrow. “ Are you sure?” 

“If I want to keep up with you, I might as well learn.” 

She smirks at him and bites her bottom lip. “Argh, I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” 

She doesn’t. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated , let me know what you think! if you want to follow me on twitter and see my concepts as they come to life, find me @paperskieszion :)


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